Window Grilles Provide Homes Unique, Historic Touches

April 24, 2018

Spring is here, with the promise of pleasant temperatures on bright and sun-filled days. It’s a great time to think about grilles. Not the grills that cook tasty summer meals, but the grilles that can refresh the look of your home’s windows.

Window grilles are decorative horizontal and/or vertical bars that split larger panes of glass into patterns. They are usually used as a design throwback to when window glass could not be made in the large sheets available today.

Back then, glass was delicate and large pieces were almost impossible to place without breaking. The solution was to create many small pieces of glass placed together by window grilles.

Even though today’s technology has made it possible to produce windows without requiring grilles, the look of windows with grilles has maintained popularity with people who want a traditional or historic look for their window.

Look at any Victorian, Cape Cod or Colonial style home, for example, to see popular home architectures that might not look “right” without windows that have grilles.

History and technology meet halfway when it comes to today’s window grilles. You can find a variety of picks in replacement windows for grilles that not only maintain a sense of traditional style, while featuring current conveniences.

From grilles that give the look of separated window panes to grilles that can be moved in order to make cleaning and maintaining window glass convenient, there are window grille options that suit almost any homeowner’s needs.

Here are some available grille types offered by Pella of Tucson, as well as benefits that come with each:

Integral Light Technology (ILT) Grilles

These grilles are for those who want a window grille that gives a realistic look of individual windowpanes without the cost of customizing a window. Depending on the type of window, either wood, fiberglass or vinyl grilles are permanently adhered to the inside and outside of the window glass.

Some windows have a nonglare foam spacer that then is placed between the grilles to create a shadow that gives the image of individual glass panes — making an authentic look of true divided-light windows.

ILT grilles are a great option for homeowners wanting windows that are an authentic complementary match for their traditional or historic architecture. These grilles can be made in unfinished or prefinished stained wood, or painted and primed fiberglass or vinyl.

Simulated Divided-Light Grilles (SDL)

SDL grilles use the same approach as ILT grilles, with grilles connected to the inside and outside of the glass. Unlike ILT grilles, SDL grilles typically do not feature a spacer between the grille and the glass.

Removable Roomside Wood Grilles

Different than other divided-light grilles, removable grilles are connected to the interior side of windows with latches. This allows the grilles to be removed and makes cleaning the glass a snap, while still providing the look of divided windowpanes in the window. Like divided-light grilles that are attached to the window, though, removable grilles can be made in unfinished wood, prefinished stained wood or painted and primed.

Between-The-Glass Grilles

As opposed to divided-light grilles that are typically affixed on both sides of the glass or removable grilles that are coupled to the roomside of the glass, between-the-glass grilles are, as the name suggests, installed between the panes of insulating glass in double- or triple-paned windows.

The benefit of these grilles is that homeowners get the design of divided windowpanes while still having a smooth glass surface that’s convenient to clean.

Between-the-glass grilles can be made to be removable. In windows including this style of grille, the space between the panes of glass, sometimes referred to as a swinging panel, can be opened in order to remove the grille for cleaning, or when cleaning the panes of glass.

With these grille options, creating a historic look doesn’t mean having to deal with old window technology. When looking to replace your home windows, consider the wide selection of grilles that are available to make the perfect marriage of traditional and modern window design.